1. Technical Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a cutting apparatus for separating packages from a line.
The field of application of the invention is, in particular, the cutting-out of single thermoplastic cups during the online production, filling and packaging thereof. The thermoplastic cups receive food preparations such as cottage cheese or other milk products, pudding, jam, beverages or the like. It also applies analogously, however, to plane cardboard blanks.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The cutting-out is normally effected by a punching cut with an upper knife and a lower knife. The upper knives have to be precisely aligned with the lower knives. This involves a great deal of difficulty. Special upper knives and lower knives are required for each cutting pattern. When changing over to another cutting pattern, these upper knives and lower knives must in each case be set precisely. A drop-through punch has to be employed for the processing of thermoplastic cups with a circular cross section.
DE 78 16 238 U1 describes a roller punch in which a pivotable punching knife resting on interconnected packages to be cut is, for the cutting, moved through between two pressure rollers. The cut packages can be removed after the punching knife has been moved back and swung up, so that the mode of operation is very time-consuming.